The Purple Butterfly
by sulphurwolf
Summary: An agoraphobic's forced trip to a club leads to a devastating panic attack. Enter an unexpected hero. Better than it sounds. Rating subject to change based on content in later chapters. Please R
1. Into The Abyss

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Disclaimer: I own nothing! I'm far to poor… hell, I don't even own my own soul!

**The Purple Butterfly**

"Butterfly!" Damian yelled out as he watched the girl fall, her limp form now obscured by the crowd of people in the club. Crystal aka 'Butterfly' lay on the ground, her chest heaving up and down as she struggled for breath. She was having a panic attack, caused by the pressing of the crowd around her. Some one had pulled her to the middle of the pile of sweating bodies, heedless of her cries of protest. Crystal was mildly agoraphobic, and so, while she could step outside of her house and live a relatively normal life, a large crowd was still too much for her to handle.

As she lay there, she wondered why no one helped her. Damian was too far away, and the others she had come to the club with were unaware of her plight. But the people directly around her could see that she was not alright. Did none of them care enough about another to stop and help her? Apparently not. Crystal closed her eyes, preparing to die, knowing that no one who cared could reach her in time, when a warm hand was placed against her neck. The warm hand went away, and Crystal felt herself being lifted into the air. Damian must have found a way to get to her in time, she thought before blacking out.

Crystal woke up to an annoying beeping sound. After a few moments of lying still she realized that the sound was in tune with her heart… which meant she was hooked up to a heart rate monitor… which were only available in hospitals…

"Shit!" Crystal jolted up, the I.V. tube in her arm pulling painfully against her skin. She started to rise, trying to pull the patches that linked up to the heart monitor from her skin. Crystal almost jumped out of her skin when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down Butterfly, it's just me." Damian's comforting voice sounded from behind her. "And don't worry, your safe here. This hospital isn't bad like the other ones." Damian picked up and put her back on the bed, holding her closely as he began to sing lightly to her.

"Please savior of here  
Give me shelter from fear  
I need answers to this  
Crazy world that's so mixed" Crystal started to calm down, and her own voice blended with Damian's as she joined in the song.

"With this pain that leaves us  
Lifeless and so dead-souled

We all need to break this mold" Now another, much lower voice joined in. Ian, Damian's brother.

"Drips hit the floor, who cares at all  
Flesh sheared and torn, sleeves hide remorse  
Stardom branded skin, traps pain within  
Expectations, never reaching" Crystal began to drift into sleep, her voice trailing off on the last few words as her eyes closed. Damian lay her down carefully, then turned to Ian, motioning that they should wait outside.

"So, how soon do you think she will be able to leave?" Ian asked once they were outside.

"The doctor said she could leave later today, she just needs to rest." The two turned their attention to the third person in the hall. They smiled at him, then sat down on the chairs opposite him to wait.

Some time later Crystal woke up again, just as a doctor entered the room. Her body tensed and she curled up at the head of the bed, away from him. He placed a large paper bag at the foot of her bed, smiling.

"Well young miss, you are free to leave now. These are your clothes; you may change in the bathroom and leave the gown on the bed." He left as Crystal looked down at her arms, noticing that there was no longer an I.V. needle in her, nor were the patches on her chest. She scrambled to the end of the bed, grabbing the bag and half running to the bathroom, eager to leave.

When Crystal walked out of the bathroom she threw the gown on the bed, then quickly checked her reflection in the bathroom mirror before walking out of the room. She was wearing a floor length leather trench coat over a black and purple corset, with black booty shorts under an artfully torn purple skirt that didn't cover much, thus the shorts underneath.

"Crys!" Damian glomped the girl the moment he caught sight of her, making her fall off balance. She was about to hit the ground when a man she didn't recognize caught her, lifting her back up.

"Th-thanks," she stuttered, shooting a glare at Damian, who looked away sheepishly. Ian smiled at her, moving in to give her a hug as he spoke.

"Wow, that's the second time that man has saved you." Crystal's eyes darted between Ian and the man.

"Wait… I thought Damian had saved me in the club." Damian shook his head.

"Nope, couldn't get to you in time. Brian here picked you up and carried you out of the crowd. Saved you he did." Damian nodded matter-of-factly. Crystal turned to the man, offering her hand.

"Thanks for saving me… twice. I'm Crystal; it's a pleasure to meet you." He took her hand, shaking it gently before letting go.

"I'm Brain, Brian Warner, and the pleasure is mine." They both smiled for a moment, and then something clicked in Crystal's mind. Brian… Warner… Brian Warner…

"Marilyn Manson!"

**End**

Please review, tell me what you think, and be brutally honest!

Kayt


	2. What Luck

Recap:

Recap:

"Thanks for saving me… twice. I'm Crystal; it's a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Brain, Brian Warner, and the pleasure is mine." They both smiled for a moment, and then something clicked in Crystal's mind. Brian… Warner… Brian Warner…

"Marilyn Manson!"

**The Purple Butterfly**

Crystal sat in the back of a large limousine, occasionally taking a sip from her glass of wine. The past weeks events were kind of a blur. Her panic attack, her near death experience, her unexpected savior, and the sudden interest in her music from said unexpected savior. All these things ran through her mind as she took another sip of wine.

"So, how many songs have you guys written on your own?" Brian's voice cut through her thoughts.

"Umm, we have thirteen songs that are fully written, lyrics, guitar, bass, drums, and keyboard. But we have roughly twenty or so unfinished songs as well." Ian answered, his arm around Crystal's shoulders.

"Crys recently had a bad bought of writer's block, so most of the songs we haven't finished just need her lyrics." Crystal growled, elbowing him lightly in the side.

"It's not my fault; you guys just haven't given me the time to write when I get the inspiration." Ian rolled his eyes and tried to smack her playfully upside the head.

"You should carry a notepad with you so you can jot down notes." Crystal elbowed him again, harder this time, and Ian grunted. Brian reached across the limo and grabbed Crystal, tugging her forward as Damian undid her seatbelt. She shot forwards, into Brian's arms.

"Calm down, he was just trying to get you riled up." He sat her down beside him, putting her seatbelt on for her as she glared at Ian. One of his arms rested about her shoulders, the other held her wine glass, which he had grabbed before she fell across the limo.

"Besides, you will have plenty of time to finish up those lyrics after you compile the completed songs for your first album." He smiled, trying to put her at ease. She still wasn't entirely comfortable with being touched by him, and the stress of potentially becoming a successful band was really affecting her. She was fearful of having to stand up in front of a large crowd night after night, having to talk to the crowds, and allow them to touch her, to shake her hands. It was far worse for Crystal than it was for other artists. Her level of agoraphobia had already given her a panic attack which had threatened her life, and that was in a half full club. Brian could only imagine what might happen if she had to get on stage, with a crowd four times the size of the one that ended her up in the hospital.

"Yeah, I guess…" Crystal settled back against him, trying to push down her fears, and her discomfort at being so close to another. They sat in silence for the rest of the ride to the studio. Crystal went back to thinking about the past week.

#Flashback#

Crystal stood on stage, the band around her. She felt safe behind her instrument; the crowd couldn't touch her as long as she was holding that bass and singing. When the band had finished their set they walked off stage, Crystal immediately going to the musician's lounge. Other than the night of her attack she never left the lounge after playing.

"Well, hello Miss Crystal." A voice spoke up as she entered the room. Her eyes darted around the room, resting on the man who had spoken. Marilyn Manson was there, his band mates beside him.

They all agreed that they liked the band's music, and had proposed to have some of the executives from their label come and listen to the band. Well, the execs had liked them, and they had set a date to begin recording the band's first album.

#End Flashback#

The limo rolled to a stop in the large parking structure attached to Interscope. Brian stepped out first, offering his hand to help Crystal out of the awkward, cramped vehicle. Crystal sighed as she stepped out of the limo, stretching out her long form, which had been very cramped in the limousine, despite its size. Brian led her to the elevator, Ian, Damian, their drummer Christoph, and Brian's band mates in tow. Crystal pressed herself into the corner of the elevator, close to Brian. She always hated the feeling of weightlessness the small container induced.

When the doors slid open they walked down a long hall, and through a great set of double doors. Crystal found herself in a large meeting room, and was a little awestruck by its sheer size. Brian led her to a seat, pulling the chair out for her before taking his own seat a couple spots away. Damian and Ian sat on either side of her, Christoph on the other side of Ian. The execs came in, sitting down with a great deal of fuss before discussing the bands possible future with the recording company. Crystal half tuned them out, trusting the others to fill her in later. She caught bits and pieces of conversation though. Stuff about contracts, tours, merchandising, stuff like that. When they were done talking the execs shook everyone's hands, except for Crystal, who just nodded politely at them.

Back in the limo the guys were sort of giddy at the prospect of being signed. Crystal wore a dour expression as everyone started toasting each other, only raising her glass half heartedly when Damian addressed two toasts to her and Brain.

"Cheer up Crystal; you're going to be rich! You can pay people to stand around you, keeping the crowds away." Ian said, chuckling slightly as he patted her shoulder. She turned to glare at Ian, leaning away from him. Brian put a protective arm around her, happy that she didn't tense up at their close proximity. Ian stopped smiling, a childish look of hurt spreading across his features.

"Well sooorrrry. It was just a joke." He turned away to sulk, making Crystal burst into a fit of giggles. The smile was back on his face in an instant. Damian let out a bark of laughter, realizing that Ian had meant to do that. The limo stopped and the driver rolled down the window.

"Sirs, young Miss, we have arrived at the club." Everyone piled out of the vehicle, Crystal going first this time. She half ran to the side door, hurrying to get dressed into a different outfit. Damian had forced her to wear a pant suit to the meeting. When she came out she was wearing a vinyl corset over a fishnet top and a vinyl skirt with chains and straps decorating it. Both skirt and corset had deep indigo colored top stitching. All the guys stopped and stared for a moment, having only seen her in baggy pants and shirts until that morning when she had worn the suit. Brian did a low wolf whistle, making Crystal's cheeks flush.

"Hey, since when do you wear girl's clothes on a normal night?" Damian asked incredulously. He knew her the best, and yet he had only seen her wearing a skirt twice before. She shrugged, and then flushed again as the guy's eyes widened.

"Yeah, those thoughts running through your head right now, those are the reason I never wear girls clothes." She said with a scowl, watching them look away sheepishly. Crystal turned and walked to a separate section of the lounge, one which had been specifically decorated to her taste. The predominant shade was black, punctured here and there with dark violets and indigos. This was a little sanctuary of sorts the club had created for their agoraphobic performer. Crystal spent most of her time here, since the club let out one of the small apartments on the above floors to her.

She knelt on a dark plum colored cushion situated beside the circular center table. Out of one of the small drawers in the side she pulled a notebook and pencil. She began tapping the pencil lightly against the table as she flipped open the book to a blank page. Cristoph and Ian sat down directly behind her, Brian across the table, Damian and the others taking random seats around the room. They were all silent for a time, Ian, Damian, and Cristoph knowing that Crystal just needed to get the beat in her head. After a while she began to write, and they knew it was alright to talk, that they would not break her concentration.

After a while she stopped writing, and handed the small book over to Damian who ran over what she wrote in his head. She always wrote her lyrics double spaced, putting a rough version of the tab underneath, and small dots to count out the beat of the words. He nodded his head, satisfied with her work. She smiled, and then struck up a conversation with Brian. The group spent the rest of the night chatting about this and that, most of the guys gawking at Crystal over her love of cars, fishing, and her knowledge in both interests.

The next morning Crystal opened her eyes to the sight of a small black ball of fuzz jumping onto her bed. She grinned, reaching over to cuddle the young kitten. The ball of fuzz began to purr as she scratched behind her ears gently.

"So little Artemis, would you like to come with me on the tour?" The little ball of fuzz continued to purr, looking at her with startling emerald eyes. Crystal decided that the kitten would go with her, since she refused to trust anyone else to care for her. Artemis meowed in her cute little kitten voice, making Crystal squee and cuddle the little fuzz, before realizing that her kitten almost never meowed. She must have been hungry, Crystal decided, standing up to get the cat food.

Crystal opened the fridge, grabbing the can of wet food and pulling the lid off. She grabbed a spoon and scooped out three spoonfuls into Artemis's dish. She placed the tiny fuzz ball beside the bowl and wet back into her room, pulling a pair of jeans and a tatty black t-shirt on before flopping down on the bed. After a while Artemis jumped up on the bed again, curling up on Crystal's stomach. The girl smiled again, closing her eyes. The combination of the cats purring and the warm sunlight her room was bathed in had her sleeping again in no time.

For the second time that morning Crystal woke up, opening her eyes to the bright afternoon sun. It took her brain a moment to realize that some one was knocking on the door. She stood up, holding the sleeping kitten like a little baby as she made her way to the door. She opened it to Damian's glowering face.

"You're late." He said, brushing past her into the apartment.

"Late for what? We didn't have anything planned for today, and I don't work until tonight, which is why I didn't set my alarm." Crystal asked her confusion quite evident. Damian scowled at her.

"You are always in the club in the mornings, you are never late. I was counting on you being downstairs." Crystal sighed, putting her cat on the bed gently before walking to the closet and pulling out a nicer shirt. She turned to Damian, who closed his eyes while she changed tops. Crystal then picked up her kitten and walked into the kitchen.

"So, why were you counting on my being downstairs?" She asked curiously as she threw a couple slices of back bacon in the frying pan, and turning up the electric stove to full power with her free hand.

"Well… See… There is this guy I wanted you to meet." Damian said as he winced, waiting for the pan to hit his head full force. After a few moments without injury he opened his eyes to look at her. She was staring at him, her eyebrow raised.

"Dearest Damian, we have known each other a long time, correct?" She asked, and then continued without waiting for a reply. "In all that time, have you ever known me to take kindly to you attempting to set me up with people?" She paused this time, waiting for him to respond.

"No, never. But I thought, if you knew who he was, you would be ok with it." Crystal sighed again, placing the kitten in her little bed beside the table. She walked back over to the stove, flipping the bacon as it started to brown on one side.

"So, knowing me as you do, you still think that I will go for this guy you are trying to set me up with?" She asked, clarifying the fact that Damian was insane. He nodded, standing up to grab a plate for Crystal's 'breakfast.' After she finished eating she looked at him inquisitively.

"So, why are you still here? Shouldn't you be scurrying around trying to explain to this guy why I wasn't there?" Damian smiled, shaking his head.

"Oh, you can tell him yourself when we get down there. I was charged with the task of fetching you." Damian's smile grew as Crystal glared at him. She rolled her eyes and went to brush her teeth, deciding that the jeans and shirt were good enough to wear. With a final glance at Artemis she left the small apartment. She and Damian got in the elevator, her glaring at Damian as he smiled.

"I really think you're going to like him." Damian said in a slightly sing-song voice. Crystal sighed again, walking out of the elevator as the doors opened to the main floor. The moment the doors to the musicians lounge she stopped dead, her brain malfunctioning in the presence of her favorite band of all time. Damian grabbed her from behind, shifting her slightly to get in the room. He grinned at the guys, moving to sit down on a small couch, occupied by Jesse Hasek of the band 10 Years. Crystal followed him over, sitting in the empty space between him and Jesse.

"So Jesse, this is Crystal, the bassist/lead singer of the group." Jesse shook Crystal's hand, laughing at the fact that she was so startled at his presence. Crystal shook her head to get it working again, and then turned to Damian.

"Wait; was this the guy you were telling me about?" She asked incredulously. Damian grinned, nodding slightly. He didn't know why, but Jesse had taken a liking to his boyish friend. And so, like any good friend should, he decided to set them up. Jesse had no problem with it; the only trick would be getting Crystal's brain not to explode upon meeting her favorite band. And so, Damian had opted not to tell her who he was setting her up with, deciding that if her head blew up it would be funny. As it turned out, she just went offline temporarily before resuming her normal anti-social behavior. Crystal spent the next half hour or so leaning on Damian, the only one who she trusted entirely. And then came the news.

"Well, Crystal, we had better get going." Jesse said, standing up.

"Umm… What are you talking about?" She asked, her eyes widening to show her confusion.

"What, Damian didn't tell you? I made plans for us this evening. You like Bubble Tea right?" Crystal's mouth dropped open and she turned to Damian.

"You could have told me!" She punched his arm then turned back to Jesse.

"Umm, would you mind if I changed into something a little less… Torn?" She picked at one of the small holes in the jeans absentmindedly. Jesse smiled, offering a hand to help her up.

"The jeans and shirt are fine. It is only a little bubble tea shop around the corner. No big deal." Crystal nearly died.

"That's not the point! I hate going out looking like a bum." Jesse chuckled and shook his head, then sat back down.

"Alright, if it is that important to you, go and change. But please hurry." Crystal nodded, bolting out of the room and into the club dressing room. She pulled on a pair of baggy black pants covered in straps and chains, and a tight black tank top. She finished off the outfit with a large zip-up sweater, which she left unzipped. After checking that her make-up was alright in the mirror she walked back to the lounge, leaning against the wall once she got there. Jesse stood and held the door open for her to walk back out. Once they were out of the club Crystal turned in the direction of the only bubble tea shop within the city limits. Jesse followed close behind, amused that she knew exactly where they were going.

"So how did you know which shop we were going to?" He asked, walking fast to keep up with her long strides.

"I know you may find this hard to believe, but there is only one shop in the city. It is a travesty, I know, but it is true." Jesse chuckled, walking along side her now that she had slowed up slightly for him.

"Ah, well, I didn't know that. Damian mentioned that you liked Bubble Tea, and he told me where this one was. So I simply assumed that this was just the closest." Crystal nodded slightly, understanding. They walked the remaining time in silence, punctured only by the couple of people who recognized Jesse on the street and wanted autographs or pictures. When they got inside the shop, there was no one there.

"I have never known this place to be empty, which means that this is only possible for one of two reasons. Either there has been a horrible infestation or rats, or you made this happen." Jesse grinned, putting his hands up.

"You caught me. Damian and I decided to call the owners and reserve the whole place. You and I get the pace to ourselves for a couple hours, and then Damian will bring the others by to hang out." The two took a seat on one of the couches in the corner of the shop.

End

I'm ending the chapter here for now, because I have a limited amount of time on the computer, and I don't feel like typing anything more right now. I will be updating my other stories this coming weekend, since that is when I get my computer back.

For those of you who don't know me irl, I will explain.

I tend to skip class on occasion, but only when I know I won't get caught. Unfortunately my mother came home earlier than expected and got the call from school. So, I lost the computer for the week. I am currently on a school computer, which does not have my latest chapter of Shinkirou. So, I apologize for the inconvenience.

Kayt (aka sulphurwolf)


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